The academic and president of the RCN on why it is vital nurses get a substantial pay rise and better working conditions
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The pandemic is an opportunity to reset policy to tackle the “chronic, enduring problems” that nurses face, according to Anne Marie Rafferty, professor of nursing policy at King’s College London and president of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN).
“If I can use this phrase, Covid should be the circuit breaker for many of the ills which have plagued the profession for many years: let’s make that happen.”
Rafferty, who received a damehood for services to nursing in the Queen’s birthday honours list earlier this month, wants to see tangible recognition of the contributions that frontline nursing colleagues make. This includes not just better pay, but much stronger incentives in the NHS to stay in the job through “sustained long-term planning” and investment in the profession. This, according to Rafferty, should include equitable postgraduate training to allow nurses to progress their careers, and a shake-up of onerous working conditions, such as the demands of working 12-hour shifts that leave nurses feeling exhausted.
Related: Growing numbers of NHS nurses quit within three years, study finds
